


Deep Down

by nekojita



Series: Dragon!Andrew [2]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Bad Parenting, Canon-Typical Violence, Dragon!Andrew, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Past Child Abuse, more dubious baking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-17
Updated: 2017-05-17
Packaged: 2018-11-01 16:26:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10925598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nekojita/pseuds/nekojita
Summary: Neil has found a home with Andrew, and things have changed between them now that the curse that changed Andrew into a dragon has weakened enough to allow him to revert to his human form for a few hours a day. Will Neil figure out why he's suddenly so uncomfortable around Andrew, or will Andrew leave him to flounder rather than risk making an uncomfortable situation worse?Continuation of the Dragon!Andrew series.





	Deep Down

**Author's Note:**

> So yes! I finally got an update on this story! More of a prequel happening here, since everyone wanted to know what happened after Andrew and Neil met in 'Higher'. And not a Wednesday post because I'm going to be busy tomorrow night (packing et all before leaving Thursday for Acen) so I figured I'd best get it up now or else it might not get posted.
> 
> Warnings... well, there's some VERY vague references to Andrew's past here (we're slowly getting more information on him), nothing explicit and nothing that's outside of canon. Just a simple line and it doesn't go into details at all. The usual for Neil that's already been brought up in past stories, but again, it doesn't go into things in detail at all.  
> *******

*******

Andrew rested the tip of his chin lightly on Neil’s left shoulder and stared at the oven. /Well? Are they ready yet?/

“Uhm, I think they might be in a few minutes.” Neil reached back to scratch him on the nose in an absentminded manner, which made Andrew hum in pleasure. “I hope they turn out all right,” he said for what had to be about the tenth time.

/They smell almost edible./ Andrew nuzzled his idiot’s hair, which made Neil murmur out a complaint, then followed it with a faint huff of smoke, which made Neil cough. As he backed away a little, Neil bent over to check the pies in the oven; Andrew hummed a little more at the inspiring view and cursed the sun for being out.

At least five more hours until sunset, dammit. Five more hours until he’d have his human form for a short time and could continue the odd game of cat and mouse he had going on with a certain oblivious idiot. An idiot who grew flustered and strangely clumsy whenever around Andrew in human form, who would stammer and blush and grow shy, yet who failed to realize what that all meant. Why he only acted that way around _Andrew_.

Normally Andrew wouldn’t care so much about such things – wouldn’t _allow_ himself to care so much about a gorgeous, oblivious idiot – but if there was one thing that being cursed had taught him it was the foolishness of wasting any chances like the one currently fussing over pastries made specifically for him. He’d had very few things go right for him in his life so far – so _very, very_ few things. Hell, Neil could probably be counted as the _one_ good thing, really, so he wasn’t going to let go without a fight. He was just beginning to lose patience.

Maybe he should just come out and ask if the idiot wanted a blowjob or something.

Neil set the pies on the counter and waved the towel he’d used to pull them out of the oven above them; they were a bit lumpy and smelled very sweet, and he eyed them with some trepidation. “Ah, okay, so give them some time to cool.”

/Why?/ Andrew was a dragon and a fire mage, he didn’t need to worry about things like ‘too hot’. Using his prehensile tongue to pry them out of their pans, he slid the apple pies into his mouth in quick succession while Neil gazed on in astonishment then hummed a little more. /Hmm, nice and sweet. Not too bad for your first try,/ he told his idiot as he chewed a little then swallowed. The apples had been crisp and fresh and the spices a subtle mix in all the sweetness. /When can you make more?/ he asked as he nudged Neil in the head.

“I… you… all the myriad hells,” Neil muttered as he jerked a flour-covered hand through his white-dusted hair in what looked to be frustration. “I spent over an hour making them, an _hour_! And you just… bah!” He threw his hands up in the air and would have stalked away, except that Andrew wrapped his tail around the idiot and hoisted him in the air. “Stop that!”

/Someone needs a bath and then a nap, I think./

“I need you to appreciate all the hard work I do around here!”

/I do, which is why I want you to make more pies,/ Andrew informed the grouch as he wondered if he’d have to put up with the bad mood for long – things tended to explode when Neil got into too much of a ‘snit’, due to all that demon blood.

“That’s not – oh, I give up.” Neil crossed his arms over his chest and appeared to pout as he was carried to the bathing room. “You really liked them? You’re not just saying that to make me feel better?” He sounded a little uncertain just then, and peeked at Andrew through the ragged bangs falling onto his face.

/No, I just want you to make them so I can suffer a sore stomach for the hell of it./ Andrew turned his idiot upside down and ignored the beast inside of him rumbling about his treatment of ‘poor Neil’ – especially since Neil smiled. The last thing a certain idiot needed was to be pampered and tucked away and hidden from the world like the foolish beast insisted – Neil would be out of the fortress so fast that both Andrew and the dragon would suffer a case of whiplash from watching him run away.

“Well, if that’s the case, then I’ll definitely make more,” Neil said, the snarky bastard.

/Ha, ha. I should drop you in the lake, see how you like a cold bath,/ Andrew threatened, even if he’d never do it – the naiads would be too pleased to ‘play’ with a certain oblivious twit.

“Why do I bother?” Neil asked in a contemplative manner; Andrew was left with the impression that the question was a rhetorical one and didn’t answer as he set his friend down near the large copper bathing tub.

Neil grew quiet as he filled the tub with water, then seemed to focus on scrubbing himself clean as quickly as possible while Andrew heated the water for him once he removed his tunic and leggings. If he hunched over a little more than he had before Aaron and Nicky had managed to restore Andrew’s human body to him (for a few hours, at least), took to holding the washing cloth in front of him until he scampered into the tub in a plain attempt to provide a bit of modesty… well, Andrew didn’t comment and he didn’t stare.

That last bit took a surprising amount of willpower, considering he very well knew what Neil looked like naked, but that had been _before_ , and now it was a matter of consent. Neil noticed him enough now to feel bashful, but didn’t ask Andrew to leave and still enjoyed talking to Andrew while he soaked in the hot water.

Mixed fucking signals much?

“So, a few more weeks before Nicky and Aaron return,” Neil murmured once he settled in the hot water to his chin, a pleased expression on his flushed face.

/Peace and quiet at last,/ Andrew commented as he tapped a claw against the side of the large tub; while he was eager for the curse to be relaxed as much as possible if not outright broken, he could only take so much of his family at one time.

“Hmm, hopefully.” Now Neil’s expression grew pensive while there was a flash of silver in his pale eyes and he stroked his fingers along the damn raven tattoo. “They’re preferable to any knights showing up.”

Andrew regarded him for several seconds before he blew out a thin plume of smoke. /Flambéing the pests is mildly amusing./

Neil coughed a little while he shook his head. “You shouldn’t have to fight them because of me! You-“ Whatever else nonsense he was about to spout was lost when Andrew dunked him beneath the water and held him down for a few seconds, which was nothing because the idiot could last a good bit longer because of all that demon blood, from what Andrew had seen when Neil had swum with the naiads the one time.

He thought about all of Neil’s scars, of the few stories Neil had told him about growing up as ‘Nathaniel’, of what had happened at the Raven’s Nest, and suspected that all the demon blood had kept Neil alive through a lot – through too much, really. That thought didn’t make him or the beast happy at all.

Nathan Wesninski and Riko Moriyama had a lot to answer for, if they ever crossed Andrew’s path.

At the moment, however, he was left with the idiot they’d done their best to break and failed, whom he let go of so Neil could rush up from the bottom of the tub and glare at him once he wiped away the wet mop of hair which clung to his face. “Yu-you buh-bastard!”

/Want to try that again?/ Andrew extended his right foreleg while he blew a few small sparks at the defiant fool. /Just making sure you’re nice and clean, you seem to have a bit of stupidity clinging to you./

The silver gleam returned to Neil’s eyes for a couple of seconds. “Fine then, go play with a bunch of knights if you want – you assholes deserve each other.”

Andrew was quiet for a moment and then tapped his claws against the tub as he used his magic to remove the heat from the water. /If I’m such an ‘asshole’…./

“Dammit, Andrew!” Neil all but shrieked as he hauled himself out of the water, too quick for Andrew to look away without catching a glimpse of that lean, scarred body. “Way to prove my point!”

/I aim to please,/ Andrew said, voice thick with sarcasm as he used his tail to snatch up Neil’s robe and toss it at the idiot.  /Looks like I don’t have to take you to the lake for a cold bath./ He ignored the beast’s protests over Neil’s mistreatment’ and instead focused on the way that Neil’s eyes flashed with temper and how his friend looked straight at him for once, without any hesitation or uncertainty. /Ready to bake some more?/

The robe clinging to his wet body, Neil merely sputtered as he stalked out of the room; the beast was torn between anxiousness and an eagerness to follow Neil, to be as close to him as possible, while Andrew felt a smugness at provoking a reaction from his friend. Also, he figured it was best to give the idiot a little time to put on some clothes so he emptied the water from the bathing tub and wandered around the ancient fortress for a bit to ensure that everything was ‘all right’ before he tracked down Neil (by the scent of roses and tree resin) in the kitchen.

Neil was dressed in dark grey leggings and a pale grey tunic, busy making what looked to be another set of apple pies. Andrew felt something clench inside of his chest at the sight, felt the beast begin to purr even as Neil pointed a paring knife in his direction. “I hope you get a serious case of indigestion from these things,” Neil spat before he resumed peeling an apple.

Andrew watched Neil for a couple of seconds before he reached out with his tail to set the idiot on top of the counter. /When with the pears be ready?/

Neil gaped at him for a moment before shaking his head, his hair still wet. “Not for a couple of months, but there’s some plums still if you like those.”

/Plums are good,/ Andrew agreed. /If you’ve left any./ He’d seen Neil eat them often enough and – all right, not going there.

“I don’t want to hear that from the… err, well, you go through the sweet bread fast enough don’t you?” Neil pointed out as he continued to peel the apples.

/Whatever, hurry up./

“Did I really steal from enough innocent people to deserve this?” Neil remarked as he gave Andrew a pained look, then shook his head as he refocused his energy on making the pastries. Once they were in the oven, Neil cleaned up (again) and they curled up together in the main room so Neil could read to Andrew for a little while, then Andrew had some more sweets before dinner. Then he was able to shift back into his human form and Neil once again became distant and weird and….

Perhaps Andrew did need to come out and ask about the blowjob.

All joking aside, there was something to say about Aaron and Nicky being around, because they (well, _Nicky_ ), could broach questions that Andrew couldn’t, could get Neil to open up about things that Andrew didn’t know how to ask without being overly blunt. Such as _why_ Neil started to blush and stammer around Andrew, why he’d changed so much when Andrew had stopped being just a dragon.

Why as soon as the sun set, Neil would act as if it was painful to be around Andrew, even though he could easily find an excuse to leave Andrew’s presence – they had a huge fort to themselves, after all. Yet Andrew allowed the ridiculous situation to go on between them, watched Neil act like even more of an idiot than normal while his insides twisted up and the beast urged him to pull Neil close and claim him (he was _not_ going pin Neil down and bite the back of his neck and- no. _NO_. Dragon courtship was just – _NO_. BAD BEAST. So what if it was expected that Neil was a powerful magic user and over half-demon and him not blowing Andrew into bits meant – _NO_.)

Andrew had another very good reason to hate the curse just then.

They were back to the old stalemate with Neil stumbling around him and him pretending that he didn’t notice it, with him getting oh so tired of it and the beast torn between urging him on to do something yet against anything that would hurt Neil. It continued for a few more days, until a freelance knight showed up around noon, apparently hoping to ‘rescue’ Neil and drag him back to Evermore to Riko’s ‘tender’ care.

Andrew and Neil were curled up in the main room so Neil could read from one of the books that Aaron had left after his last visit, some adventure novel which was mildly interesting – to Andrew, at least – when the wards around the fort warned them of someone approaching. Neil sighed as he set the book aside, then again when Andrew’s tail wrapped around him. “Really?”

/Stay near me until we figure out who it is,/ Andrew warned as he got up from where he’d been lying on the floor to check to see who it was bothering them. /And keep the insults to a minimum./

“I don’t know what you mean.”

Andrew blew out a plume of smoke at the stubborn idiot trying for an innocent expression. /Right, who started insulting the last knight’s pedigree right away, hmm?/

Neil’s pointed chin jutted out while he pouted, which made him look even younger than he was, something Andrew didn’t think was the intended effect. “I merely let her know that a well-bred young person wouldn’t be bothering us during breakfast like that.”

/You called her an ill-bred bastard, among several other things I don’t think she appreciated./

“And were any of them false? Huh?” Neil folded his arms over his chest as he waited for Andrew to disagree. “People think they can throw my bloodlines in my face, then they better expect the same.”

/But you _are_ -/ Andrew figured he’d let that argument go when Neil’s eyes flared a brilliant silver since they were still in the fort and the old place didn’t need to be knocked down from within. /You are a _very_ stubborn idiot./

He received an incoherent snarl by way of an answer, which sort of proved his point.

The latest bout of Moriyama-induced suicidal stupidity was better prepared than usual, was a rather burly individual (at least a foot and a  half taller than Neil and almost three times as wide) wearing enchanted steel-plated armor judging from the glowing runes on the shining metal and the feel of coolness radiating from his still form. Andrew guessed that the man was a water elemental, which was mildly annoying, and set Neil behind him. /Well?/

“The demon speaks,” the knight called out in a deep voice as he unsheathed a war ax; behind Andrew, he felt Neil shiver and press against his left hind leg. “Release Nathaniel from your foul clutches before I reduce you to pieces.”

Really? _This_ was the best that Riko could find to throw at him? /I burn books with dialogue as cliché as yours, and normally I find such an action abhorrent,/ Andrew informed the moron as he wrapped his tail around Neil once more to reassure his idiot.

“You’ll find that I came prepared, demon,” the knight proclaimed as he stepped forward – at least, as close to the courtyard as the wards would allow.

For fuck’s sake – _Neil_ was the demon, Andrew was a dragon… sort of. Done with the massive stupidity and annoyed that his quiet time with Neil had been interrupted, Andrew unleashed a torrent of flame on the moron… and huffed when the ax and armor somehow deflected his attack. Oh well, it looked as if he’d have to do it the old-fashioned way and get a bit messy.

He released Neil so he could step past the wards, and ignored the warning that the idiot called out since his hide had so far protected him from all types of attacks, be they magical or mundane. So he figured it wasn’t that important to dodge the spell lobbed at him from the knight, something water-based, and was readying another bout of flames when pain made him choke in surprise. The knight shouted something in a smug tone as he swung back his ax to either deliver a physical blow or unleash another spell, but before he could manage that, a bolt of silver aether magic sizzled through the air and sent him flying down the mountain – sent him flying and managed to take out a few trees along the way. Andrew figured the knight was a squashed mess of crushed flesh unless his fancy armor had some impressive protection spells on it.

“Are you all right?” Neil asked as he rushed over to Andrew’s side, his expression worried and sparks of silver still in his eyes. “Did that spell do anything to you?”

Andrew managed to stand up on shaky legs then used his head to shove Neil back behind the wards. /Get… don’t leave the courtyard, you idiot,/ he snapped, furious over Neil risking himself like that when they didn’t know if there were other knights around or not , him and the beast.

Neil gawked at him for a moment as he struggled for balance, his eyes overcast with silver and the scent of his magic strong in the air. “What… I just _saved_ you, you asshole!”

/You interfered,/ Andrew argued as he shoved Neil again to get him farther from the edge of the wards. /Go inside./

“I… oh fuck off!” Neil gave him a rude gesture as he spun around, his hands glowing with aether and back ramrod straight.

For a moment Andrew was torn between conflicting impulses, both his and the beast’s – to follow Neil yet to remain outside to ensure that there weren’t any more knights sent to attack the fortress and take Neil away from him/them. To assuage Neil’s temper and to protect. In the end the need to protect his friend and his home won out, and Andrew flew up to a higher vantage point to watch over the fort, the old stone building where he and the idiot lived, until it grew close to sundown. During that time he didn’t see signs of any other people on the mountain, though he thought he caught a glimpse of the water elemental staggering down the mountain a couple hours later.

He entered the kitchen to find a large pot of stew simmering on the stove but no sign of Neil, so he went to his room to wait out the sun setting in privacy. Once the curse was ‘broken’ for a few hours and he had the strength to stand on his own two feet once more as well as pull on some clothes, he returned to the kitchen for something to eat.

Neil was there that time, seated on the counter with a mug of tea held in his hands, his expression solemn as he stared into the steaming container. Andrew waited to see if he would say anything, and after about a minute of silence, went to help himself to the stew; he would prefer some sweet bread and cheese, but it always tasted better when Neil prepared it for him, which he didn’t think was going to happen that night.

When Andrew had finished half a bowl of the fish stew, he sighed and tapped the spoon against the rim while he leaned against the counter. “The silent treatment? From _you_?”

Neil’s jaw clenched as he set the mug aside. “I’m trying to think of what I want to say.”

Oh, things had to be bad if someone who just let the words rush out without any thought was _thinking_ first for once. “Damn, that spell was more powerful than I thought,” Andrew mused as he set the stew aside as well and went for the apple brandy.

“You bastard,” Neil muttered, which sounded normal for the idiot. “You have no idea – I mean – you’re such an asshole.”

“Yes, yes, it’s all clear now,” Andrew taunted as he fetched a bottle of the strong liquor from the pantry. “You know how these things go by now, how the knights come and I fry them then knock them down the mountain.”

“Except this one was prepared.” Neil glared as he hopped off of the counter. “This one could hurt you!”

Andrew shrugged as he swallowed the brandy. “It wouldn’t have changed anything,” he said after a moment; the spell had hurt a little, but Andrew would have won out in the end. He always did when it came to his promises.

“It wouldn’t-“ Neil shook his head while he jerked his right hand through his unruly curls, his expression a mix of anger and upset. “Dammit, you’re not indestructible, Andrew! No one is, not even a dragon!” That statement made the beast rumble inside of Andrew. “There’s more than enough dead ones to back me up!”

“I’m not so easy to kill,” Andrew stated as he lowered the bottle to his right side. “Neither of us are,” he clarified when the beast rumbled again, while Neil continued to shake his head, his expression now one of disbelief. “So stop being so stupid.”

There was a bit of swearing in another language before Neil stomped over to him; it always annoyed Andrew how Neil was a couple of inches taller than him when he was back in his human form, after him towering over the idiot for so long in his dragon form. “I’m not being stupid, dammit! _Anyone_ can be killed, don’t you get that? And after watching my father tear my mother apart for trying to protect me, I’m not letting anyone else I care about be hurt because of me!”

Part of Andrew realized that he should know better, that it wasn’t the clearest of confessions. That ‘I care about’ could be construed in so many different ways. But the idiot was in his face, was gazing at him with those big blue eyes, had used magic to defend him and was yelling at him to basically stay safe – it was all too much. Before he knew it, Andrew had dropped the bottle of brandy and was reaching out to cup Neil’s gorgeous face between his hands, to thread his fingers through the wild strands of auburn curls to pull Neil into a fierce, demanding kiss.

He expected Neil to stiffen at first, to be taken by surprise, and was about to let go before he could be pushed away when Neil shivered a little and just… just seemed to relax all of a sudden, to almost go boneless beneath Andrew’s touch. There was a feel of his magic, that electric tingle of aether and an odd taste reminiscent of rose water on Andrew’s lips, right when a sound almost like a cross between a sigh and a moan slipped free.

Andrew shivered as well as he stepped back, confused and hungry for more and furious at himself, while the beast raged at him for letting go, for not pulling Neil in closer and holding on tighter. Meanwhile, Neil blinked in surprise before staring at him in obvious confusion.

“Uhm?” Neil blinked again as he cocked his head to the side. “Ah… huh?”

“That… I shouldn’t have done that,” Andrew confessed as he curled his hands into fists to keep them from latching on to Neil again.

“Okay.” Neil chewed on his bottom lip as his own hands twisted in the hem of his dark blue tunic. “Why not? Was it, uhm, a mistake?”

It was official that the gods hated Andrew, and obviously hadn’t stopped with just having that prick of a mage turn him into a dragon but by inflicting Neil upon him, too. A Neil who should be rabbiting away, like he always did when things got... whenever they got like this between him and Andrew. "Because you have no idea what just happened right now, do you?" Andrew forced the words past clenched teeth as he struggled to control his magic, to not set things on fire around them.

"Well, you were being an asshole one moment and then you were kissing me the next," Neil said, which of course didn't help things at all, neither did the way he gazed at Andrew with a hint of color on his cheeks which made the damn raven tattoo stand out even more on the left one. As he spoke the word 'kissing', he blushed even brighter and ducked his head. "Uhm, I didn't think-"

"You never do," Andrew pointed out as he folded his arms over his chest, which made Neil snap his head up and glare.

"You... you... you're such an asshole," Neil all but spat at him as he waved his hands about in the air for added emphasis. "I didn't ask for you to fight my battles for me or to give me a place to stay or to be so amazing or to make me feel these things which are so damn confusing, do you know that? I'm _nothing_. I'm supposed to want _nothing_ ," Neil told him, and the bleak expression on his face twisted something sharp inside of Andrew, wiped away the faint fluttering of warmth that had been there a moment before upon hearing that ‘amazing’ and ‘feeling’ bit, but even as Andrew reached for the idiot, as the beast drove him on to reach out, Neil flung a tiny ball of aether at him before he spun away and ran. It was just enough magic to sting Andrew even in human form, to make him flinch and blink his eyes to clear his sight, and by that point Neil was long gone.

The beast roared at him to give chase, to track Neil down, but he knew it would be best to grant his friend some space; he wouldn't appreciate it if Neil hounded him if their situations were reversed. So Andrew scrubbed at his face with his hands and realized that he was standing in a puddle of apple brandy, which made him sigh over a waste of good alcohol before he set about cleaning up the mess, then he finished his meal even if he didn't have much of an appetite before putting away the food for the night. Once the kitchen was in order, he retreated to his bedroom with another bottle of apple brandy.

There wasn't much sense in having his human form back when Neil wasn't around to talk to, but he could still sense the idiot within the fort so it wasn't hopeless just yet. He stayed awake drinking until the curse reclaimed his human form, then went out to the main room to get some fitful sleep where he dreamt of a smirking man dressed in black and red arriving one day to drag away a furious Neil while Andrew was helpless to do a thing.

His mood wasn't helped any when he woke up to discover that Neil had snuck out of the fort at some point that morning, but all it took was a few minutes of flying over the mountain to find the idiot out picking apples and plums. Andrew circled above him a few times and didn't notice anything unusual about Neil's behavior, so went to check the rest of the mountain for signs of any more knights bent on being cooked in their armor. Once he was certain that there weren't any around, he returned to the fruit grove to find that Neil had went back to the fort and did the same.

Neil was busy in the kitchen peeling the fruit he’d picked, and kept his back to Andrew as Andrew entered the kitchen. Getting bored with the attitude, Andrew stretched out on the floor right behind the idiot's legs. /Pies again?/

Neil stiffened for a moment before he relaxed with a weary sigh. "Yes."

/Hmm./ Andrew's tail thumped against the floor as if in annoyance, while the beast was all but purring in happiness at being near the idiot once more. /I suppose the more you try, the less you'll fail at them./

"I'm not... whatever," Neil muttered as he continued to peel the ripe plums. "Does it amuse you to torment me?"

Andrew didn't have to think much about that question. /Yes./

"Why am I not surprised." Neil glared at the bowl of peeled fruit in front of him for a few seconds. "I wonder if arsenic works on dragons."

/How amusing./ Andrew lightly smacked his tail into the idiot's side, mindful of the knife held in Neil’s hand. /What a shame we don't have any peach or cherry trees around here./

"Hmm, but I know where a patch of belladonna grows," Neil said, his voice quiet as if he was musing out loud. "And some lily of the- hey!" He scowled as he was picked up and dangled in the air. "What?"

/Time for a new joke,/ Andrew informed the idiot as he let Neil spin around a little before he set him down on the counter; it didn't bother him so much what Neil was implying since he trusted him, but that Neil knew so much about the dark topic - that Neil had learned such things growing up instead of... well, instead of what normal people did. Andrew wasn't too certain about such things himself, having spent his own childhood as an indentured servant, but at least he hadn't been raised as a weapon and a thief. Not intentionally, at least.

At first Neil's expression was stubborn, and then uncertainty began to eat away at it until the beast berated Andrew for making Neil so unhappy. "I'm... I'm so-"

/Don't,/ Andrew told him. /Shut up and make me something to eat./ He blew smoke in his idiot's face while he unwrapped his tail from Neil's waist, uncertain himself on how to go about placating his friend.

Neil gazed at him for a couple of seconds while coughing a little, then smiled, the first smile in what felt to be too long. "All right." He didn't hop down to the floor, instead he pulled the bowl closer and resumed peeling the fruit while he set his bare feet on Andrew's back. They remained like that until he had to get up to fetch the spices then make the dough, and something settled inside of Andrew at the quiet familiarity of everything. Once the pastries were in the oven, Neil went outside to wash off and check up on the goats, then Andrew nudged him into the main room so they could curl up while Neil read some more of the one adventure story about pirates on the ghost ship.

It was much like a normal day for them, and if Andrew felt a slight stab of pain at the thought of how easy Neil could be around him while he was stuck in dragon form... he shoved the thought down deep and reminded himself that he was used to not getting what he wanted.

So it was a bit surprising to find Neil waiting for him when he came out of his room after sunset, intent on grabbing a new bottle of apple brandy (Aaron and Nicky better bring a few cases of the stuff when they returned). "What?"

Neil grew flustered as he ran his right hand through his hair. "Ah, I thought you might want a cup of tea or something."

'Something', right. "Not exactly.” Andrew stalked past him on the way to the kitchen, unwilling to deal with Neil without lots of alcohol in his system. Of course Neil followed because of the whole gods hating him thing, and when Andrew spun around to face him near the doorway to the kitchen, it was almost comical to see him come to a halt so quickly rather than invade Andrew’s personal space.

So Neil could use the _dragon’s_ body as a foot rest, could sprawl out on top of the _dragon_ for half a day while reading a book, would let the _dragon_ pick him up and- Andrew had to push aside the acrid tang of jealousy as he glared at the idiot who was blushing and ducking his head once more. “ _What_?” he repeated.

“I do want a cup of tea,” Neil told him with uncharacteristic hesitancy. “And to talk to you.”

“Not in the mood.” Funny, how Andrew had been all for making Neil face up to things just a short while ago, and now he was the one who was all for ignorance if it meant less pain and uncertainty.

There was a flash of silver in Neil’s eyes for a moment before he frowned and shook his head. “Too bad, because I am. In a mood, I mean.” Neil’s frown deepened as he pushed his way past Andrew into the kitchen. “I’ve been thinking about things, and _don’t_ ,” he warned when Andrew opened his mouth to give the familiar retort. “Not when you’re lacking an impenetrable hide.”

Someone was feeling feisty, it seemed. Andrew heaved a slight sigh and followed his friend into the kitchen, set on fetching a bottle of brandy to help him get through Neil’s latest bout of inanity. Along the way to the pantry, he paused to light the oven for a certain idiot, which earned him another smile. Not that he paid attention to such things. Not that the beast rumbled in delight at the sight of such things.

There were curses and there were _curses_ , and Neil was in a class of his own.

Despite wanting to ‘talk’, Neil was quiet as he brewed himself a cup of tea, which was fine with Andrew as it allowed him to have a good bit of brandy during that time; unfortunately, the curse meant that he had a very high tolerance for alcohol. He’d barely gotten a slight buzz from all of the potent liquor when Neil set aside his half-finished tea and looked at him with a determined expression. “Kiss me.” Then he winced a little. “If you don’t mind.”

Andrew paused to sniff at the bottle of brandy to see if it was somehow a more potent batch than usual before he gave the idiot a flat look. “I’m not amused by your pathetic humor.”

“Wait, no.” Neil grew flustered at that and clutched at the counter with his hands as if to help him stand up. “It’s not a joke, dammit!”

Oh yes it was, a huge one and all on Andrew. “I told you, it’s a mistake,” Andrew ground out as he set the brandy aside before he dropped it or threw it away. “You don’t know what you want and I… I’m not going to….” He wasn’t going to be like those bastards who saw a young kid without any protection and so was ripe for a bit of ‘fun’. He wasn’t going to be like Riko, who saw Neil as a possession, as something to take and claim. “I’m not going to be like _them_. I’m not doing that to you or me.”

Neil’s expression softened as he pushed away from the counter to stand closer to Andrew. “You’re not like that, dammit. You’re never like that, and you’ll never be.”

Andrew snorted in derision at that statement. “Right, that’s why I turn into a dragon for most of the day. Why the curse is so strong.” Why he got along with the beast inside of him, as much as he hated to admit it. “I’m a monster.”

“No, you’re _never_ a monster.” Neil took a step closer with his right hand held out for a moment. “Not to me. You’re… you’re the only thing I consider safe in this whole world,” he admitted in a quiet voice as he gazed at Andrew with wide eyes and an open, heartfelt expression, “the only home I’ve ever found – both of your forms.” He ducked his head once more as he tugged at his bangs, his cheeks flushed with obvious embarrassment. “I, uhm, I just… dammit, would you kiss me?” he all but begged as he attempted to hide behind the thick fall of his bangs.

Andrew studied him for a moment while he considered what Neil had just said, while he thought about his own ridiculous hopes and wants. “I thought you didn’t care for men or women,” he commented as he reached out to cup Neil’s chin, to tilt it up so Neil was forced to look at him.

“Uhm, I don’t,” Neil confessed, his face still flushed with embarrassment but expression resolved. “But then there’s you.”

Neil said that Andrew made him feel safe with both of his forms – something that had the beast purring loud and fast inside, and urging Andrew to pull the idiot in close forever – and he never gave Aaron a second look. There seemed to be something to that ‘there’s you’ remark, something that made Andrew stand out when Neil failed to notice everyone else. Still, one way to be certain.

“Yes or no?” he asked, and it seemed to take Neil a moment to figure out what he meant.

“Ah, yes.” Neil frowned when Andrew didn’t move. “Yes,” he said without any uncertainty.

Andrew stepped closer while he pulled Neil toward him, and that time Neil didn’t go stiff as their lips met. No, Neil made that sound again, that cross between a moan and a sigh as his body relaxed, as his hands hovered near Andrew’s shoulders but didn’t touch because he knew that Andrew didn’t like unwanted contact when he was in his human body. Andrew’s left hand urged Neil’s right onto his shoulder before he slid it along his friend’s back, along sleek muscles which twitched beneath his fingers, and felt the oddest urge to smile when Neil gasped against his lips.

The idiot tasted of rosewater and tea, and felt just as electric to the touch as before. Andrew had to pull away a little when he found his left hand clutched tight around Neil’s right hip to tug him in even closer and his tongue taking advantage of the breathy little moans Neil made as he held tight to Andrew’s shoulders. If this was _real_ , if it wasn’t some fantasy the gods had made up to mess with him even more… they had time. Andrew wasn’t going to ruin it by taking too much too fast, no matter how much the beast raged at him to snatch Neil away and hide him away somewhere safe.

Though the idiot was so dazed just then, Andrew might actually get him somewhere decently remote before Neil figured it out…. No, too much of a hassle, and then too much bitching when Neil finally came to his senses.

“Uhm.” Neil blinked twice while he drew in a ragged breath. “Oooh.” The flush to his cheeks and the passion-dazed way he gazed at Andrew just then wasn’t doing much for Andrew’s resolve.

“To think that you somehow missed out on the calling to be a harper with that incredible way with words,” Andrew drawled, his voice thick with sarcasm as he let go of Neil’s curls so he could flick the idiot on the forehead.

Neil’s eyes at first went wide and then narrowed in annoyance as he swatted at Andrew’s hand. “Go to hell, you bastard.”

“There it is again, such lyricism.”

Neil attempted to pull away but Andrew still kept hold of his hip; now that he finally had the idiot, he was reluctant to let go unless Neil seemed inclined to leave, but so far merely seemed intent on stepping back enough to reach for the bottle of brandy. “I’m beginning to think that curses are contagious, there has to be an explanation for me and you and… uh, oh all the myriad hells,” Neil muttered as he blushed once more right before he drank straight from the bottle, never mind that he didn’t even care that much for alcohol.

“That good of a kiss, hmm?” Andrew asked, just to add to his idiot’s torment as he snatched away the bottle.

“Why?” Neil asked as he buried his face in his hands. Andrew thought he heard something about demon blood and pickpocketing at festivals, but the words were a bit muffled and he was more interested in the brandy at the moment.

Hmm, some pies would be good, too. He gave Neil’s hip a squeeze and frowned when it didn’t interrupt the muffled tirade and thought that it would be best to wait until morning to demand some baking.

For once he looked forward to Aaron and Nicky returning to the fort, so they could work on the spell a bit more and extend the time when he was free of the curse, now that he had something to look forward to at nights.

Finally convinced that Neil wasn’t going anywhere, he let go of him so he could lean against the counter to finish the brandy, and told himself it was the beast’s contentment filling him when Neil picked up the half-finished mug of tea and leaned next to him with a slight yet pleased smile on his face.

*******

**Author's Note:**

> *******  
> Hopefully that made sense, I swear it twisted on me a time or two...
> 
> All right, so, hoping things will get somewhat back to normal after this weekend (since I'll be out of town for Acen). Maybe I'll get a little more Raven!Neil written up so I can post that on Tumblr soon. I also have a charity fic I need to write (nothing too long - FOR ME - that I need to work on, and then I really want to dive back into Heartlines 5. 
> 
> Oooh! And I've been meaning to post this fantastic fanart for a while now, but I'm always rushing to post the parts up I always forget. It's so amazing!  
> http://still-waiting-for-godot.tumblr.com/post/158000227044/he-doesnt-hoard-gold-or-jewels-he-hoards
> 
> As always, thank you so much for the comments and kudos!


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